A strange murder takes an unexpected sinister turn in this riveting thriller and the danger is soon too close for comfort. A great listen, very well narrated.

Unfortunately in 2020 this was archived before I could download it but this year I found it on Kindle Unlimited and decided to read and review it for NetGalley. I thought it was quite a good book but didn't seem to connect with characters or the plot (have I gone off thrillers? I hope not!). Even though this wasn't for me others will definitely enjoy this one.

Enjoyed the narration. Found the story a little slow but this may be because I hadn’t read any more books in the series so perhaps wasn’t as invested in the characters. Found that some chapters cut off before the end.

If looks could kill by Olivia Kiernan.
Dcs Frankie Sheehan book 3.
Narrated by Shelley Atkinson.
9 hours and 3 minutes.
DCS Frankie Sheehan is experiencing a crisis of confidence - having become wary of the instincts that have led her face-to-face with a twisted killer and brought those she loves into direct jeopardy.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Loved this Narrator. Great story and characters. 5*.

I absolutely love the Frankie Sheehan series of police procedurals and feel that Olivia Kiernan is getting better with each novel. I have just read and listened to books 2, 3 and 4 back to back and felt that this audio version of If Looks Could Kill really brought the story and the characters to life. It is beautifully read by Shelley Atkinson, she has a calm but compelling voice that really pulled me into the story from the beginning and voices the characters and the dialogue well. Although I would recommend listening to all the books in the series I feel that this, book 3 , could also be listened to as a standalone. A highly recommended listen
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

I can’t believe this is already the third instalment in the Frankie Sheehan series! I think you could possibly just about get away with reading this as a stand-alone but I’m pretty sure there’s a rule against that. If there isn’t, there should be. Bear in mind that Frankie Sheehan is a complicated, complex and multi-layered character with an already interesting background story behind her and it’s obviously one you’d be missing out on if you haven’t read the previous two books in the series. Stating the obvious here.

If Looks Could Kill starts out with a bang in the first chapter but it’s also a scene we leave behind rather quickly in order to move on to the actual story. That story is set in the rural Wicklow mountains and the home of Debbie Nugent, where there is a bloody crime scene but no sign of a victim. Detectives quickly suspect foul play and zero in on Debbie’s youngest daughter, Margot, who has been living with this scene for three days like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

You’d think being in this small rural community, everybody would know everybody else’s business and gossip would be rife. But that isn’t the case here. Few people, if any, seem to have really known Debbie. She was a person of routine, very reclusive and private, seemingly without any close friends at all. So who would want to harm her? Could it really be Margot? To all intents and purposes, this looks remarkably like an open-and-shut case. I honestly had no idea what to think about any of it but I will say, that this incredibly cleverly plotted story went in an entirely different direction than I expected.

There’s a bit of a slow start and I may have had a tiny moment where I was wondering when something would actually happen (current mood : impatient) but the latter chapters of the book more than made up for that little blip. For the most part, If Looks Could Kill is gripping, hugely intriguing and quite unpredictable. Throughout the story, I was mindful of that opening chapter but I couldn’t at all see how it connected to everything else that was going on. Overall, this is a great addition to the series and although not my favorite, I do look forward to the next book.

I was unable to download this book to the netgalley shelf app so unable to review. I am so sorry however the app works better now.

This books starts off very intriguing with a very interesting premise and a dramatic incident. It's great and lead me to believe that it would be a fast paced story of DCS Frankie Sheehan and her investigation. However, the story is quite slow and it drags on, especially in the beginning. It's hard to really keep interest even though the plot progresses. It would have been much better to have it a little faster.

Towards the end, the story picks up and we get conclusion after conclusion that really puts everything into place and we get that moment when you can't stop reading (or in my case listening) because you really need to know what happens. I would have wished for that feeling throughout the novel, but the end really helps bring the rating up for this one.

I listened to this on audiobook, which means that I didn't mind the slow beginning as much as I would have done had I read this instead. So, preferably, listen to this instead of read it if you don't like slow books.

I do wish I had been more vigilant when requesting this though since I didn't realize this was the third book in a series when I started, and I feel like I would have liked the book more had I read the previous ones.

With thanks to Hachette UK and NetGalley for the ARC

Another great instalment in this excellent series.


Full review to follow...

I can't believe this is Book 3 in the Frankie Sheehan series I think I need to read the others but saying that this is a book you can read without the others.

If Looks Could Kill starts out with a suicide but how does it link ?

We move on to a Missing Mum Debbie and a bloody crime scene but no sign of a victim.

It transposes Mum has been missung for days but heryoungest daughter, Margot, who has been living with this scene for three days like it's the most normal thing in the world.
Debbie is well liked but a private person and although her ledest daughter moved away for some freedom it seems Debbie liked to control her daughters.
Has Debbie gone to far and Margot has flipped ?
I felt the book had a bit of a slow start but stick with oit as it does get better and intriguing and quite unpredictable.

Enjoyed this audio book
It's a slow starter, then when it picks up it gets quite gripping
the narrator does a really good job, couple of voices did grind on me, but they wasn't the main characters
overall there are plenty of twists and turns, and a decent read

Thank you netgalley, Olivia Kiernan and Hachette Audio for allowing me to read and review this book

For me this book started off a bit slow. I know it started straight off with a murder but it went on for several chapters before it picked up and got very excited. Once I got to a 1/3rd of the way I was hooked and it had other twists and things which kept me listening to the audiobook everyday. Quite a good book and I would recommend it to others. Some good plot twists.

I received my audio book from Netgalley, thank you.

The narrator had a lovely soft Irish accent which, in the main, was a pleasure to listen to. However, when giving half the male characters a voice she sounded like a cross between Jimmy Clitheroe and Jeanette Kranky which I found a little disconcerting I'm afraid.

My audio copy ran out on chapters 24 and 25 which was annoying.

The storyline was great and kept me guessing. I did feel that it dragged a fair bit until the newspaper reporter told Frankie her views on the murder of Debbie Nugent and then it took off full steam.

I think that the constant descriptions of the Wicklow countryside and the sky,whilst as beautiful as the actual area did slow things down especially when I felt I was on to something and wanted the action to speed up.

I love the narrator’s soft Irish accent. She tells the tale beautifully, rarely losing me to the outside world.
The story itself is good, but I wasn’t overly impressed. Maybe I am just being picky, but the tale felt drawn out but the ending seemed rushed. I never really felt attached to the characters, except the dead woman, perhaps had I listened at a different time I would have a better experience. I am still going to give it a decent amount of stars, though. I think I am judging harshly because I have been spoilt with a wealth of good books recently

‘If looks could kill’ is a very decent Irish crime novel.

The synopsis is tantalisingly intriguing. Single mother, Debbie Nugent, is reported as a missing person from her home in rural Ireland. Her safety is questioned when it is discovered that her home bears signs of a struggle, blood being found in quantities that suggest Debbie may have come to serious harm. Debbies’ 2 grown up daughters, are questioned and very soon it is apparent that things don’t add up....

Debbies disappearance is investigated by DCS Frankie Sheehan and her team, Frankie a likeable character with a commendable work ethic, leads her team to discover that the most obvious suspect is not necessarily the perpetrator.

The audiobook benefits from narration by one talented narrator, who adopts various Irish dialects to add authenticity and effectively distinguish between various characters. The quality of narration in soothing Irish tones also make listening to the audio version of this book a delightful lyrical experience!

While I haven’t read the first 2 books in this series, the author has ensured that sufficient detail is given to make this a satisfying stand alone in it’s own right.

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an advance copy.

I wish I could give more than three stars to this book but the download given to me as a review copy was only 64% of the book. After listening carefully for many hours and taking copious notes about the missing person, her two daughters and a boyfriend, after making notes on the narrator (good on female voices, but men's voices are variable - Clancy sometimes sounds as though he's gargling) the narration stopped. Dead. At that point, the person in custody was the person we all expected to be in custody, but I've no idea who it turned out. It's a great pity, as I was enjoying the book to that point. DCS Frankie Sheehan is an excellent character and I liked the fact that she's fallible. Her sidekick, Baz Harwood is pleasantly annoying.

I have complained to NetGalley about the app, but nothing seems to be happening. Sorry!

DCS Frankie Sheehan has been called to a grisly crime scene in the Wiclow Mountains. There is plenty of blood, but no body, at Debbie Nugent’s home. Even more bizarre is that Debbie’s daughter has been living with the corpse for several days. Odds would be good that the daughter, Margot, is also the killer. Still, Frankie knows she’s going to have to find some hard evidence to see Margot convicted, but when she starts digging into Debbie’s life, she discovers there may be more than one of Debbie’s family members who wanted her dead. Atkinson’s quiet, well modulated voice only serves to highlight this well crafted thriller

What a gripping and entertaining read. I didn't read, I inhaled it in one setting and couldn't put it down.
The story starts with a bang and it's fast paced and full of twists and turns.
There's a lot of secrets and you don't know till the end who's to be trusted and who can be involved in the mystery.
The characters are well written and I loved Frankie and Baz. I loved the descriptions of the setting, wish to be there and visit the places, and the solid mystery that kept me guessing till the last page.
Ms Kiernan is a talented storyteller and she kept my attention till the last page with a growing tension and a lot of questions that are answered in the last pages.
The narrator added depth and made the story seems stronger, i loved the voice and the intonations.
A great mystery and an excellent read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the first book I have listened to in the Frankie Sheehan series, but this had no impact on my enjoyment of the book. Frankie and Baz are called out to investigate a crime scene in the Wicklow mountains. Debbie Nugent has been reported missing but the evidence at the scene suggests that she is likely to have met her death based on the amount of blood. There is not body, and on to add to confusion her daughter Margot has been in the house for the last few days and didn’t report anything to the police. As the plot develops Margot seems like a prime suspect, but Frankie can’t help but have an uneasy feeling about this case and with the help of Baz and her colleagues proceeds to uncover some unsettling truths. I particularly enjoyed this Irish Noir book, and backdrop of the Irish countryside and the range of characters living there added to the suspense. The narrator Shelley Atkinson’s narration was spot on and brought a level of depth to the characters allowing me to submerge myself in the plot. She moved between the characters seamlessly and it was easy to forget that it was one person narrating all the characters. A great listen, if you enjoy audiobooks I would put this high on your list. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys police procedurals with a strong female lead, I would like to thank Olivia Kieran, Quercus books and NetGalley for this audiobook.

Audio version of this book 📚- An enjoyable listen with a twist I wasn’t expecting! A good storyline, my only criticism is that I would’ve liked the main character to have more of a personality. The narration was excellent. The narrator had a really listenable voice with an Irish accent that brought the characters to life